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Athletic Club thrashed RCD Mallorca 4-0 at San Mames on Friday night. The Lions were superior in every aspect of the game as they dominated another home match.

That’s six consecutive LaLiga wins at San Mames, keeping them in fifth place and looking upwards.

Yuri Berchiche scored a brace while Gorka Guruzeta and Iker Muniain completed the rout to the delight of the crowd. The Zurigorri can now focus on the Copa and Tuesday’s exciting Copa semi-final first leg away to Atlético.

Everything worked. And it was the set-piece, which has been so difficult for the team this season, that paved the way.

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Yuri with two great volleys, first from a Nico Williams free-kick and then a corner nodded on by Guruzeta, made it 2-0 on 16 minutes.

Earlier in the week, the full-back said he was feeling at his best and he proved it with a couple of wonderful strikes against Mallorca.

Athletic almost had a third on the half-hour mark. Guruzeta, brilliant on the night, nearly scored a header for the ages after connecting with a cross from Oscar de Marcos only for Pedro Rajkovic to somehow claw it out.

The referee overturned a soft penalty given to Nico and Ernesto Valverde’s side had the job half done by half-time.

The Zurigorri came back out determined to put the game to bed early. Yeray Álvarez, who narrowly missed with a header and Iñaki Williams, played through on goal by Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, could have added to the score.

And curiously, the third finally came after Mallorca’s only chance of the game, Unai Simón launching a massive counter-attack which Guruzeta finished off.

The final blow came just before full-time. Muniain struck with a low shot to send all of San Mames wild.

The only downside of the night is that the Williams brothers seem to have picked up knocks. All will be needed at the Metropolitano.